Italian Football League Power Rankings: Ancona still tops the list but Skorpions closing in

There has been a change near the top of Italian Football League rankings after the fifth weekend of play.

The Ancona Dolphins hold onto the top spot despite being idle but the Varese Skorpions continue their climb and find themselves right behind in second after dispatching Torino. Meanwhile, the Parma Panthers slipped down one more spot to third despite shutting out Bologna. The Legnano Frogs moved up another spot after edging the Milano Rhinos.

Let’s see how the Power Rankings, voted on by the IFL Commission, which includes AFI’s own Matt Bressington, changed after the weekend’s action.

1 Ancona Dolphins (2-0) – Last week 1

The Dolphins did not play this past weekend but stayed at the top of the rankings. Their win the previous weekend over the former #1, the Parma Panthers, 25-24 has kept them there. Ancona had opened the season with a 24-3 victory over the Legnano Frogs.

2 Varese Skorpions (3-0) – Last week 3

The Skorpions shut out the Torino Giaguari 34-0 with ease and thus jumped up another spot.  Former NFL QB Ryan Griffin continues to impress and completed 22 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns in the win while his brother MacLaine Griffin caught nine of those passes for 169 yards and a score. This was their third straight convincing win after they beat the Lazio Marines in week 2 28-7 and Firenze Guelfi 7-0 to open the season.

3 Parma Panthers (2-1) – Last week 2

The Panthers scored 42 first half points against Bologna and cruised to a 52-0 win but it wasn’t enough to hold onto 2nd. They had relinquished a 17-7 halftime lead against the Dolphins to fall 25-24 the weekend before to slip out of first in the rankings. In their IFL debut weekend they had earned a solid 33-26 win over the Milano Rhinos.

4 Firenze Guelfi (2-1) – Last week 4

The Guelfi hold onto their 4th place in the rankings although they were idle. They had earned a second lopsided win after beating the Lazio Marines 37-15 the week before. They had overwhelmed the hapless Bologna Warriors 55-0 following their opening day 7-0 loss to Varese.

5 Legnano Frogs (2-1) – Last week 6

The Frogs barely got by the Milano Rhinos 28-27 but it was enough to boost them into fifth spot. They had upset the previously undefeated Torino Giaguari 36-7 in Week #2 action after losing to Ancona in their first game of the season.

6 Torino Giaguari (2-2) – Last week 5

The Giaguari suffered their second straight embarrassing loss after being blanked 34-0 by the Skorpions and thus fell another spot. They had lost to the Frogs 36-7 after opening the season with two straight wins.

7 Milano Rhinos (2-3) – Last week 7

Despite barely losing to the Frogs 28-27 the Rhinos remain mired in 7th in the rankings. They had beaten the hapless Bologna Warriors 48-7 but two losses in their first three games has kept them in the bottom third of the rankings.

8 Lazio Marines (0-3) – Last week 8

Although they did not play this past weekend, the Marines 0-3 start to the season keeps them near the bottom. The week before they were soundly beaten 37-15 by the Guelfi. They were defeated by the Varese Skorpions the week before 28-7 after suffering a 27-16 loss to the Milano Rhinos to open the season.

9 Bologna Warriors (0-4) – Last week 9

The Bologna Warriors were badly mauled again, this time 52-0 by the third-ranked Parma Panthers and have found a home in the basement of the IFL rankings. Their other three losses were to the Milano Rhinos who beat them 48-7, the Firenze Guelfi, 55-0, and the Giaguari who whipped them 42-7.